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The Ministry of Environment of Korea (MoE) published the Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc of Chemical Substances (known as K-REACH) on January 1, 2015.  (The last update on 2024. 07. 10.). K-REACH aims to protect public health and the environment. This is achieved by four procedures: notification or registration, evaluation, authorization, and restriction of chemicals.

Under K-REACH, manufacturers or importers of a new chemical substance need to register the substances before manufacture or import. Substances less than 100 kg/ year (1t/year from January 1, 2025) only require notification and do not need to go through hazard evaluation. 

Manufacturers or importers of a Priority Existing Chemicals (PEC) substance must register the substances before manufacturing or importing. Pre-registration of PEC substances is impossible as the transition period has already passed.

Existing substances above 1 Tonne Per Annum (TPA) must be registered within grace periods. Only companies that carried out pre-registration can be entitled to the grace periods. The grace periods vary based on the tonnage band. After the grace periods for each tonnage band, existing substances within that tonnage band cannot be pre-registered, and they should be registered before placing the substances in Korea.

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South Korea approves first 15 biocidal products under K-BPR
South Korea approves first 15 biocidal products under K-BPR

On December 20, 2024, the South Korean Ministry of Environment (MoE) announced the approval of the first 15 biocidal products under the Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Act (K-BPR).    Background...

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South Korea updates official Letter of Confirmation LoC template for chemical substance verification.
South Korea updates official Letter of Confirmation LoC template for chemical substance verification.

On December 31, 2024, the Korean Environment Corporation (K-ECO) notified an updated template of the Letter of Confirmation (LoC) for chemical substance verification.     Key Contents   Based on Article 2 of the...

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